Jungle juice
New Zealand Listener|January 3-13 2023
A hallucinogenic brew with awful side effects is being investigated for its potential to relieve mental illness.
Nicky Pellegrino
Jungle juice

There is growing interest in psychedelic therapies as a way to treat addiction disorders and depression. At the University of Melbourne, Daniel Perkins has been leading an international team’s first studies looking at ayahuasca and mental health. So far, they have had some interesting results.

Ayahuasca is a drink brewed from plants, traditionally used by Amazonian tribes for spiritual and religious purposes. Increasingly, the strongly flavoured hallucinogenic brew is being used by people on a journey of self-discovery, personal growth or healing. Ayahuasca tourists travel to such places as Costa Rica for luxury retreats where they can be both pampered and guided through a ritual using the tea, which contains a hallucinogen known as DMT.

Perkins started researching with psychedelics back in 2015. “There were a lot of anecdotal reports and I wanted to understand whether ayahuasca really was this miracle cure, as it was being described, or whether it was a lot of hype, with a placebo effect from having these intense experiences with a group of people in the middle of the Amazon jungle.”

Perkins and colleagues from five countries ran the Global Ayahuasca Survey, which asked nearly 11,000 people from more than 50 nations about their experiences of drinking the tea and how it affected them.

Most did not have a particularly pleasant time. Vomiting and nausea were experienced by 62% of participants, headaches by 17.8% and abdominal pain by 12.8%. Many also reported adverse mental-health effects – most commonly hearing and seeing things, but also feeling disconnected or alone, having nightmares and disturbing thoughts.

Esta historia es de la edición January 3-13 2023 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición January 3-13 2023 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE NEW ZEALAND LISTENERVer todo
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024